Africa led by the continent’s football ruling body, Caf hailed Rwanda for staging the most successful African U-20 Youth Championship but two months later, those who offered services to make the event such a success haven’t been paid.

The two-week long continental championship, which was staged on Rwandan soil for the very first time, cost the government of Rwanda an estimated US $4 million.

Among those who offered services towards the event where hotels that accommodated the teams and delegates, transport companies and even the men and women who worked in the protocol.

The championship local organizing committee have been bold enough to acknowledge the delayed payments but have promised to pay whoever they owe any money sooner rather than later.

"We owe a lot of people their money for the services they provided to make the tournament a success but we’re planning to pay them soon,” the local organizing committee spokesman Jules Kalisa admitted last week.

However, Kalisa, who’s also the local football, federation Chief Executive Officer could not give details of how much they owe people or when exactly they plan to make the payments.

But credible sources that are well acquitted with the issue intimated to Times Sport over the weekend that the local organizing committee and the ministry of Finance officials are scheduled to meet today for discussions on how to pay the debts that amount to over Frw700 millions.

"People have been complaining for the last two months about their money with little success but there seem to be some hope of those payments being made soon as the two parties met on Monday,” the source revealed.

Caf president Issa Hayatou hailed Rwanda for hosting a memorable continental youth championship and as a reward, chose Rwanda to host the next U-17 championship in 1011.

With such endorsements from the big man himself and very many others who were in Kigali for the tournament, it would be suicidal to allow people start complaining about unpaid due for the services they rendered.

Issa Hayatou officially confirmed Rwanda as the host nation of the 2011 U-17 African Youth Championship finals.

Hayatou said, "You have made Africa proud by hosting a successful championship and for that matter start enhancing preparations for the 2011 U-17 African Youth Championship.”

"I would not like to make a comparison of how past events were organised but this year’s event was organised beyond our imaginations.

"I have been impressed with the way President Paul Kagame is being involved in football and this is why Rwanda has improved in football of recent.

"We are happy with the organization and management of this year’s U-20 Championship and we are coming in two year’s time for the Caf U-17 tournament whatsoever,”
Ghana won the Africa Youth Championship after beating giants Cameroon 2-0 in the final.

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